Conventionally, a thermal transfer type printing device has been known in which ink of a heated ink ribbon is transferred and printed on a card conveyed along a card conveying passage (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). The printing device described in Patent Literature 1 includes an ink ribbon cartridge having a supply roll for supplying an ink ribbon and a winding roll for winding the ink ribbon and a main body part to which the ink ribbon cartridge is detachably attached. In the printing device, an ink ribbon cartridge does not include a cover for covering the winding roll and, in the ink ribbon cartridge detached from the main body part; the used ink ribbon wound around the winding roll is exposed outside. Further, the main body part includes a housing structured of a first housing disposed on an upper side and a second housing disposed on a lower side. The first housing is turnably held by a fixed shaft attached to the second housing and is capable of turning with respect to the second housing.
In the printing device, the main body part includes a thermal head configured to heat an ink ribbon to transfer ink of the ink ribbon to a card, a ribbon feed roller which feeds the ink ribbon from a supply roll to a winding roll, and a motor for driving the ribbon feed roller. The motor is also connected with the winding roll and the winding roll is rotated by power of the motor. In other words, in the printing device, when the motor is rotated, the ribbon feed roller and the winding roll are rotated and the ink ribbon is fed from the supply roll to the winding roll.
Further, in a thermal transfer type printing device like the printing device described in Patent Literature 1, ink having a shape which is the same as an image printed on a card is peeled from the ink ribbon and thus, a peeled trace of ink having the same shape as the printed image on the card is left on the ink ribbon after printing has been performed (used ink ribbon). Therefore, when the peeled trace is observed, the image printed on the card can be recognized easily. Accordingly, it is not desirable from a viewpoint of security that, in the ink ribbon cartridge detached from the main body part, the used ink ribbon wound around the winding roll is exposed outside. In order to prevent this problem, an ink ribbon cartridge has been proposed which includes a cartridge main body in which the used ink ribbon wound around a winding roll is accommodated so as not to expose outside even when the ink ribbon cartridge is detached from its main body part (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).
Further, in a state that the ink ribbon cartridge is detached from the main body part, even when the used ink ribbon is not exposed outside, in a case that the used ink ribbon wound around a winding roll can be easily drawn out from the cartridge main body, the image printed on a card can be recognized easily. Therefore, the ink ribbon cartridge described in Patent Literature 2 is structured so that, even when detached from the main body part, the used ink ribbon wound around the winding roll is not easily drawn out from the cartridge main body.
Specifically, in the ink ribbon cartridge, a plurality of ribs is formed on an inner peripheral face of the winding roll formed in a cylindrical tube shape, and an inclined part which is inclined toward one of a rotating direction of the winding roll is formed at one end part of the rib in an axial direction of the winding roll. Further, the ink ribbon cartridge includes a reverse rotation prevention member which is relatively movable along an axial center of the winding roll with respect to the cartridge main body and an urging member which urges the reverse rotation prevention member toward the winding roll. The reverse rotation prevention member is formed with an opposing inclined part which is inclined in the same direction as the inclined direction of the inclined part formed in the rib of the winding roll.
In the ink ribbon cartridge, when the ink ribbon cartridge is not attached to the main body part of a printing device, the inclined part of the winding roll and the opposing inclined part of the reverse rotation prevention member are engaged with each other by an urging force of the urging member and thus the winding roll is capable of being rotated only in a direction where the ink ribbon is wound. Further, in the ink ribbon cartridge, when the ink ribbon cartridge is attached to the main body part of the printing device, the reverse rotation prevention member is pushed by a tip end part of a rotation shaft structuring the main body part and an engaging state of the inclined part of the winding roll with the opposing inclined part of the reverse rotation prevention member is released and thereby the winding roll is set to be capable of rotating in both directions.
As described above, in the ink ribbon cartridge described in Patent Literature 2, unless the reverse rotation prevention member is pushed by the tip end part of the rotation shaft to release the engaging state of the inclined part of the winding roll with the opposing inclined part of the reverse rotation prevention member, the winding roll is unable to be rotated in a direction that the ink ribbon is drawn out from the winding roll. Therefore, even in a state that the ink ribbon cartridge is detached from the main body part, the used ink ribbon which is wound around the winding roll cannot be easily drawn out from the cartridge main body.
Further, in the printing device, when the first housing covering an upper side of the second housing is turned to one direction, the ink ribbon cartridge can be detached from the housing toward the upper side. Further, in the printing device, the first housing which covers the upper side of the second housing is turned to one direction and, after the ink ribbon cartridge is attached to the second housing from the upper side, when the first housing is turned to the other direction to cover the ink ribbon cartridge from the upper side, the ink ribbon cartridge is attached to the housing.
As described above, in the printing device described in Patent Literature 1, an ink ribbon cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body part from an upper side with respect to the printing device. Therefore, in the printing device, even when another device is adjacently disposed on a lateral side with respect to the printing device, an ink ribbon cartridge can be easily attached and detached. Accordingly, for example, in a case that the printing device is mounted on a host device and used, flexibility of layout of the printing device in the host device can be enhanced.